ANTIBIOTICS, GUT HEALTH, AND GLUTEN SENSITIVITY

In my series on gluten, we have learned that GLUTEN INTOLERANCE is one of the most serious (and ignored) health problems facing Americans today. We have also learned about a few of the reasons that people today face an increasingly difficult situation as far as gluten is concerned (HERE). Today we will delve into some of the things that are known to trigger Gluten Sensitivity / Intolerance --- as well as full-blown Celiac Disease. Interestingly enough, some of these same things can actually be triggered by Gluten Sensitivity --- creating the proverbial "chicken or egg" question. Although there are probably a number of triggers that we are yet unaware of, we will stick with what we know from Scientific Research.

According to a recent article in Science Daily, Americans continue ruin their health with ANTIBIOTICS. Although the treating medical community seems to be doing little about this crisis, the scientific research community as well as the mainstream media is starting to take the ball and run with it. A few of the things that are most heavily associated with Gluten Sensitivity include antibiotics.

ANTIBIOTICS:Is there any country on the planet that uses more antibiotics that the United States? Nope; and it's not even close! Antibiotics, when used properly, are a stop-gap measure to prevent people from dying of bacterial infections. Instead, they have become so common place that they are frequently little more than a placebo given to placate demanding patients --- something to be taken for every sniffle, sneeze, or cough (real or imagined). They are also improperly handed out like candy for viral infections (HERE).

I have spent a fair amount of time on this blog talking about some of the dangers associated with antibiotic use / abuse, as well as the fact that 80% of your entire immune system is found in the gut --- a large percentage of that being made up of "good bacteria" (HERE). Now the research is starting to prove that antibiotic-induced DYSBIOSIS is a major cause of Gluten Sensitivity. Does anyone recall what was said oinn FRIDAY'S BLOG ENTRY?

The prestigious medical journal Diabetes recently had to say this about Type I Diabetes, "There is a growing body of evidence that diet may play a role in the development of Type 1 Diabetes, through influencing gut flora [bacteria], intestinal permeability [Leaky Gut Syndrome], and immune function in the gut; wheat in particular has been shown to have a connection to the development of Type 1 Diabetes, although the relationship is poorly understood." The really scary thing is that the same things are being said about numerous other AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES as well. A 2005 Swedish study noted this when they said "There is a difference in the metabolic activity of intestinal microbial flora in children with Celiac Disease compared to that in Healthy Controls." Again, there are abundant studies on this phenomenon. YESTERDAY'S POST was all about showing you how to find them.

CHRONIC VIRAL INFECTIONS: This one is probably more related to antibiotics than your doctor cares to admit. Because a whopping 80% of your entire Immune System is found in your gut / digestive tract (SEE HERE), and because antibiotics kill bacteria, and not viruses; every time you take an antibiotic, you are weakening your body's ability to fight viral infections --- by far the most common kind of microbial infection. Is this a big deal? Absolutely, considering that when you get sick, there is about a 90% chance that the pathogen will be a virus ---- not a bacteria. Here is one example from a 1994 study published by the Department of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin "A 12 amino acid sequence from the adenovirus [a very common virus that causes upper respiratory infections, among other things]12 E1B protein is homologous at the protein level with a similar 12-mer derived from the wheat protein A-gliadin. It has been suggested that exposure to Ad 12 could sensitize individuals to gliadins with resultant gluten sensitive enteropathy." In plain English, proteins from viruses are strangely similar to gliadin (one of the two proteins that makes up gluten). Exposure to said virus can cause Gluten Sensitivity.

PARASITES, YEAST, & FUNGUS:Yes, I know this sounds crazy. We live in America where everything is clean. We don't get PARASITES or fungal infections. Wrong! Parasites and fungal / YEAST INFECTIONS are actually common --- especially in people who have had lots of...... you guessed it; antibiotics. There are specialized immune cells that line the small intestine called immunocytes. These immune cells produce secretory IgA, a critical component of the thin, healthy mucous that is makes up the first line of immune defense. The inflammation produced in individuals that are Gluten Sensitive destroys these cells, which in turn opens the door to intestinal infections of all sorts. This lowered immune defense is referred to as depressed secretory IgA, and can result in many other food reactions as well. This is because secretory IgA also helps the body process food antigens.

Be aware that while Gluten Sensitivity causes INFLAMMATION that cause the above mentioned infections of the gut; the antibiotics prescribed to people kill off a significant percentage of the good bacteria. As bad bacteria gain a foothold in the gut, it further opens the doors for good bacteria to be crowded out altogether. Is this a problem in America? Ask Dr. Martin Blaser MD. In a PREVIOUS BLOG POST, I reported his research stating that antibiotic abuse was causing the extinction of certain types of good bacteria (normal gut flora). When this happens, you create an environment where the bad guys push the good guys out and take over ---- permanently!

For example, in a normal person, about 10,000,000 Salmonella must be ingested in order to cause disease. However, when that person's gut is "sterile" (all or most of the good bacteria have been killed off because of antibiotics), the same disease can be produced by as few as 10 Salmonella. This dramatic difference is simply due to competition. If you do not have friendly bacteria in your gut (and elsewhere), you will have problems. For a little taste of what good bacteria do in your body, CLICK HERE.

INFLAMMATION: The chemicals that we refer to collectively as "inflammation" (prostaglandins, leukotrienes, thromboxanes, cytokines, chemokines, certain enzymes, kinnins, histamines, eicosanoids, substance P, TNF's, Il's, and dozens of others) are being touted by the medical community as the primary cause of a whole host of physical ailments. Let me repeat that. INFLAMMATION is a (probably "the") primary causal factor in numerous disease processes.

It is not that Inflammation is a bad thing in and of itself. These chemicals that make up "inflammation" are actually part of your normal immune system function. In the correct amounts, these chemicals are crucial to insuring a proper immune system response to various attacks or injuries to your body. However, as they become increasingly elevated throughout the body, they drive the body's Immune System Response to higher and higher levels, causing scads of major health problems. This is because Chronic (long term) Inflammation is characterized by a cycle of destruction and healing in the affected tissue ---- at the same time --- over and over and over again! And yes, Gluten is a major cause of inflammation as well ---- particularly of the gut and the BRAIN / NERVOUS SYSTEM. Some of the other problems that Inflammation is known to cause includes;

Comprehensive lists along with much more detail on all of these and many more can be foundHEREandHERE

TOO MANY BAD FATS / NOT ENOUGH GOOD FATS:Too many people are scared to death of dietary fat (HERE), and those who aren't, typically consume way too many TRANS FATS. Unfortunately for these people, they are not getting enough Omega-3's and other healthy fats into their diets.

THE BOTTOM LINE:The bottom line is that although there are many potential triggers out there, antibiotics are a huge factor in the declining health of our nation. The American Society for Microbiology recently published research describing the relationship / interactions between the intestinal micro-flora (good bacteria) and the host. Their Conclusion? "Antibiotics profoundly disrupt intestinal homeostasis" (equilibrium). The authors prefaced this conclusion with this remark, "Intestinal microbes help us digest our food, provide us with vitamins that we cannot make on our own, and protect us from microbes that make us sick, amongst other things". In another major study, researchers examined over 2,000 molecules normally present in feces ---- before and after the administration of antibiotics. The "after antibiotics" group showed some frankly, freaky results;

The second round of mass spectroscopy revealed a very different metabolic landscape. The levels of 87 percent of the molecules detected had been shifted up or down by factors ranging from 2-fold to 10,000-fold.

The most profoundly altered pathways involved steroid hormones, eicosanoid hormones, sugar, fatty acid, and bile acid. "These hormones have very important functions in our health. They control our immune system, reproductive functions, mineral balance, sugar metabolism, and many other important aspects of human metabolism."

THE AUTHOR'S CONCLUSIONS:"First, our work shows that the unnecessary use of antibiotics has deleterious effects on human health that were previously unappreciated."

Although we spend more on healthcare as a nation and per capita than any other country on the planet; we really don't have as much to show for it as one would assume. Although we are managing to keep our population alive longer, we are a people plagued by Autoimmune Diseases (SEE HERE) ---- most of which the medical community has no answer for other than prescribing more immuno-suppressive cortico-steroids ---- or other drugs that are even harsher. If you are looking for real answers to problems that are plaguing millions upon millions of other Americans, I suggest you start at ENDOGUT. Endogut has loads of information about the very topics that you have read about in this series. You can also go to PubMed to view over 150 studies pertaining to both gluten and antibiotics.

GLUTEN SENSITIVITY AND AUTOIMMUNITY

If you are convinced (even a little bit) that Gluten could be as big a heath problem as anything facing Americans today, it would be nice to have some scientific evidence to back it up --- especially when talking with your doctor about your condition. Is this evidence out there? If you have been following this blog series thus far, you already know that yes, the studies are out there ---- BY THE THOUSANDS! I was actually going to list studies here, but there are simply too many of them ---- way too many. However, what I will do today is pick a topic. You can do the same thing with any topic of your choice.

Because HASHIMOTO'S THYROIDITIS is arguably the most common major AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE in America (10% of the population), we will use it as today's example. Firstly, notice that Hashimoto's is, as just mentioned, an Autoimmune Disease. Remember also that if you have an Autoimmune Condition of any sort, you have a better than 90% chance of being Gluten Intolerant (HERE for PubMed's "Gluten / Autoimmunity" ---- 700 studies). Now let's narrow down our search to "Gluten / Thyroid". We only find 135 studies to wade through here. Now let's look specifically at the 7 studies under "GLUTEN / THYROID / HASHIMOTO'S THYROIDITIS". Because there are actually many more studies than this (no single database carries them all), we can also look on other databases, as well as the web.

Thyroid problems? I would strongly suggest that you read Datis Kharrazian's Thyroid Book on the matter (it's a ten dollar paperback). The brilliant Kharrazian is a board-certified CARRICK-TRAINED Functional Neurologist, and is the world's foremost expert on managing Thyroid Problems from a Functional Medicine point of view. You can also visit the website of Dr. Aristo Vojdani, possibly the world's preeminent immunological expert --- whose specialty happens to be Food Sensitivities --- most specifically GLUTEN INTOLERANCE.

The truth of the matter is that knowledge is power. If a doctor diagnoses you with problem X, you need to make yourself an expert on problem X. Never blindly trust what any doctor tells you (self included) without first checking it against current scientific research. If your doctor tries telling you that "Gluten Free" is a MERE FAD with no evidence to back up the link between AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES & GLUTEN, find another doctor! Better yet, get tested to see if you are Gluten Sensitive and whether or not it's throwing your Immune System out of balance, and into a state of Autoimmunity.

A SMALL TASTE OF THE GLUTEN RESEARCHIn one major study, authors suggested that treating Celiac Disease with a gluten-free diet can lessen the risk of developing autoimmune thyroid disease. In this study, a group of researchers from Italy compared the incidence of Celiac Disease and autoimmune hypothyroidism (Hashimoto's Thyroiditis) in so-called "healthy people", with the incidence of Celiac Disease in a group of "sick patients" (cancer and heart disease) with non-autoimmune thyroid disease.

The prevalence of Celiac Disease in the thyroid disease group was "significantly greater than in both healthy and sick control groups". Although they stated that genetic and environmental factors could be to blame, they added "it is possible that the association between Celiac Disease and autoimmunity in untreated Celiac patients is caused by gluten intake."

Other studies have shown that organ-specific antibodies (these indicate that the body's white blood cells are attacking specific organs, glands or tissues, such as the thyroid gland) disappear after three to six months on a gluten-free diet. Their startling conclusion was that it's possible that "undiagnosed Celiac Disease can cause other [autoimmune] disorders by switching on some as yet unknown immunological mechanism." The study was published in Digestive Diseases and Sciences in February 2000. Too bad your doctor has not gotten around to reading this 11 year old research yet.

WHAT ABOUT TESTING?Interestingly enough, the Italian research team suggested that all autoimmune thyroid disease patients with Graves or Hashimoto's could benefit from being screened for Gluten Sensitivity. However, the medical community has (not surprisingly) balked at this suggestion. In a 2006 statement, the American Gastroenterological Association Institute, noted that patients with autoimmune thyroid disease are at higher risk for Celiac, but added that "there is no compelling rationale for the routine screening of patients with thyroid disease for Celiac Disease in the absence of symptoms suggesting or compatible with Celiac Disease." There isn't? Go back and re-read the first part of this blog entry! The evidence is overwhelming. However..........

Stop for a moment and think. Because Autoimmune Diseases are so rampant in America, it would make good fiscal (and humanitarian) sense for our medical community to not only to educate patients about the potential pitfalls of gluten, but to screen people with Autoimmune Diseases as well. In fact, in light of what we have learned in this five part series, a suggestion that everyone be screened for Gluten Sensitivity would not seem too out of line. Will this ever happen? Doubtful. Think about YESTERDAY'S COLUMN, Ivy League Professor, Dr. Peter Green's research (HERE), and the monster numbers of Americans with Autoimmune Disease (at least 1 in 5 --- probably more like 1 in 2). If even half of these people's health issues could be managed simply by removing gluten from the diet, think about the tens of billions in lost revenue that would be facing Drug Companies and the Medical Industry. Is it any wonder your doctor has not talked to you about gluten yet?

GLUTEN SENSITIVITY AND AUTOIMMUNITYAN AMERICAN EPIDEMIC

Although I touched on this topic a bit in PART Iof the Gluten Series, it bears repeating. There is a huge link in the scientific literature between Autoimmunity and Gluten Sensitivity. In fact, if you go to Pubmed, Medline, or any of the huge databases for medical / scientific research and plug in your disease of choice, plus "gluten", you are likely to find hundreds (possibly over 1,000) studies on the subject (tomorrow's blog). Be warned; these studies are not coming from the alternative health field. They are coming straight out of the most prestigious medical institutions and universities around the world!

This discussion begs the question; how many Americans are affected by Autoimmunity? Although according to current (conservative) statistics, at least 20% of the entire population has some form of AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE, I have seen some experts put the number at closer to 50%. What are Autoimmune Diseases? They are health problems that arise when your body recognizes itself (or more accurately, parts of itself) as foreign invaders. Once the body recognizes a part of itself as foreign, it begins to make antibodies against itself and starts attacking its own cells, tissues, glands, or organs. As you can imagine, this can be disastrous.

It's only recently that GLUTENhas been recognized as a causal factor in Autoimmunity (most often via a LEAKY GUT). As far as Gluten was concerned, it was believed that a small percentage of people (1 in 5,000) had Celiac Disease (diagnosed by small intestine damage upon biopsy), and lots and lots of people had Autoimmune Diseases whose causes were largely unknown --- and that was that. Two separate and unrelated entities. We now know better.

Until recently, this phenomenon of immune reaction against neural tissue, in particular the cerebellum, was attributed to vitamin deficiencies and not to immunological pathogenesis. During the past five years, based on overwhelming evidence of immune pathogenesis involving organs other than gut and skin, many scientists have begun to re-evaluate the notion that gluten sensitivity is solely a disease of the gut. Other organs suspected of involvement include: the joint, the heart, thyroid, bone, the brain cerebellum, and the neuronal synapsins..... Although it is believed that the prevalence of Celiac Disease is one in one hundred, for every symptomatic patient with Celiac Disease there are eight patients with Celiac Disease with no GI symptom. In addition 10% of the healthy population have significant elevation in gliadin antibody but no obvious classic disease manifestations. In our laboratory, when the blood of these individuals is tested against different tissue antigens (joint, myosin, endothelial cell, bone antigens, myelin basic protein, cerebellar and synapsin peptides) more than 90% of them exhibit elevation in IgG, IgM and IgA antibodies against one or all these organ-specific antigens. Therefore, gluten sensitivity beyond the gut can induce multi-organ system disorders. Gluten researchers Dr. Aristo Vodjdani & Dr Tom Bryan,The Immunology of Gluten Sensitivity Beyond the Intestinal Tract. Notice the highlighted portions of this quote. Researchers are finding antibodies against all sorts of the subject's own tissues --- as a reaction to gluten. This is the rule with Gluten Sensitivity and Autoimmunity ---- two sides of the same coin!

Oh, and one other thing to remember about Autoimmune Diseases. They travel in packs ---- like wolves. People that have one are just as likely to have many. This is because Autoimmunity is a problem not with the organ, gland, or tissue being attacked, it is a problem with the Immune System ---- of which 80% IS FOUND IN THE GUT. Once the conditions are ripe for one Autoimmune Disease, they are ripe for any and all Autoimmune Diseases!

And women, be warned; almost all of the following diseases affect you more than men ---- most, far more. For example, Lupus affects 1.5 million Americans ---- 90% of them women. And because of our cruddy diets and sedentary lifestyles, Autoimmune Diseases affect a disproportionate number of Americans when compared to the rest of the world. For example, of the 5 million world-wide cases of Lupus, 1.5 million are Americans. In other words, we have about 2-3% of the world's population, and about 30% of its Lupus. Is Lupus serious? A dear friend's first wife died of Lupus over a decade ago. It is the disease that most people seem to associate with Autoimmunity. However, it is just one of a shockingly long list (the list is in no particular order).

LIST OF AUTOIMMUNE CONDITIONS

Type I Diabetes (The prestigious medical journal Diabetes recently had this to say about TYPE I DIABETES, "There is a growing body of evidence that diet may play a role in the development of type 1 diabetes, through influencing gut flora [bacteria], intestinal permeability, and immune function in the gut; wheat in particular has been shown to have a connection to the development of type 1 diabetes, although the relationship is poorly understood."). I talked about this phenomenon in my blog series on DYSBIOIS. Bear in mind that the same things are being said about many of the other diseases on this list as well. Don't fail to understand why gut health is such a big deal. 80% of your entire Immune System lives in your gut / digestive tract (HERE).

IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome is thought to affect at least 50 million Americans, and is an Autoimmune Disease that causes bloating, gas, cramps, and alternating constipation and diarrhea (HERE).

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (Autoimmune Hypothyroidism --- affects as many as 30 million Americans -- SEE HERE. It is arguably the most common Autoimmune Disease in the US. By the way, 90+% of all American hypothyroidism is Autoimmune --- Hashimoto's)

Grave's Disease (Hyperthyroidism --- same link as above)

Eczemaaka Atopic Dermatitis (10% of the population and increasing, suffer with this problem (HERE). If either parent had it, your child has an 80% chance of developing it.)

Contact Dermatitis (depending on whose statistics you believe, between 1% and 15% of the population has this. If we split the difference, over 20 million Americans have this problem.)

Urticaria / Hives (an estimated 60 million Americans suffer with hives at some point in their lifetime. A recent study says that, "The majority of patients with chronic hives have an unknown cause. Perhaps as many as 30–40% of patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria will, in fact, have an autoimmune cause." This means that at least 25 million Americans have had or will have Autoimmune Hives in their lifetime.) HERE is my post on skin conditions in general.

Interstitial Cystitis / Painful Bladder Syndrome (6-8 million Americans have this. A 2007 edition of the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine said that, "Up to 12% of women may have early symptoms of IC/BPS.") HERE is more information.

Atopic Allergies (40 to 50 million Americans suffer with this problem. More on ALLERGIES.)

Lupus (1.5 million Americans deal with Lupus.)

Ankylosing Spondylitis (approximately 1% of Americans have some form of this disease.)

Rheumatoid Arthritis (over 3 million Americans have this --- HERE is some new information on RA.)

Polymyalgia Rheumatica (This is the second most common "Rheumatic" Autoimmune Disease --- just behind RA above. HEREis my post on the topic.

Numerous Kinds of Anemia (The stats on the various forms of anemia are crazy. HERE is more information for those interested.)

Peripheral Neuropathy (over 20 million Americans have this problem ---- unless you add in RLS, which more than doubles the number. Some of these include things like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Raynaud's Phenomenon. HERE is more information on the topic.)

Parkinson's Syndrome (I have to be careful because it runs in my family HERE).

Restless Leg Syndrome (Why do you see so much about RLS these days? Because 35 to 40 million Americans have RLS ---- a form of Peripheral Neuropathy.)

Celiac Disease (full blown Wheat Intolerance ---- 1 in 100 Americans affected ---- maybe much more, as only 1 or 2 percent of these actually get diagnosed (HERE). Between 1 in 3, and 1 in 2 Americans have some degree of Gluten Intolerance or Sensitivity. As crazy as it sounds, if you look at the numbers on this list, it could actually be higher.)

Berger's Disease (an estimated quarter million Americans have this.)

Addisons's Disease

Cushing's Syndrome

Guillain–Barré Syndrome

Erythema Nodosum (An inflammation of the fat cells under the skin characterized by tender red nodules or lumps that are most typically seen on the shins. This is a common "early sign" of numerous other Autoimmune Diseases such as Rhumatoid Arthritis, Crohn's Disease, Sarcoidosis, etc)

Gastritis-- H. Pylori Infection (half the world's population has the bacteria, although only about 20% of these have stomach ulcers. This means that about 30 million Americans have Autoimmune Gatritis. More on H. PYLORI.)

Dermatitis Herpetiformis (about a million Americans have this. If you have it, you have Celiac Disease. The American Family Physician Journal said this in 1998, "Untreated, the severity of DH can vary significantly over time, it is presumed, in response to the amount of gluten ingested.")

Myositis, Polymyositis (a form of MD) & Dermatomyositis

Ménière's Disease (The National Institutes of Health estimates that about 615,000 people in the US have Meniere's Disease and that 100,000 new cases are diagnosed every two years.)

Raynaud's Phenomena (10% of the population has this problem. The Raynaud's Association says on their website that, "Some researchers estimate as many as 20% of all women in their childbearing years have Raynaud’s.")

Sjögren's Syndrome (affects 4 million Americans)

Alopeica Areata (affects 6 million Americans)

Scleroderma (affects between 300,000 and half a million Americans. If you have this, you will also have problems with diseases from the Rheumatoid Arthritis family)

Sarcodoisis(affects 60,000 Americans)

Ulcerative Colitis (affects 1.5 million Americans. HERE is a ton of information on Gut Health.)

Vasculitis(affects just under 1% of the population ---- 3 million Americans)

Fibromyalgia (Experts are not sure. It acts much like a typical Autoimmune Disease, but no one has yet found the connection. There is speculation that it could be an autoimmune reaction against certain neurotransmitters. More on FIBROMYALGIA.)

Hundreds -- Maybe thousands of others that we have yet to figure out the autoantigen.

I would assume that some of these stats flat-out shocked you! Not just the sheer numbers of Americans with Autoimmune Diseases (my simple list does not come close to telling the whole story), but the realization that things like Gastritis, Peripheral Neuropathy, Restless Leg Syndrome, Anemia, and the vast majority of Thyroid Dysfunction are all Autoimmune Diseases ----- most of which are severely affected by gluten! By the way, did you notice that the numbers do not add up. If only 20% of the population is Autoimmune, it means that 60 million Americans have all of the diseases listed above. It simply does not add up, unless these 60 million people all have multiple Autoimmune Diseases -- a distinct possibility. However, I think it makes it quite likely that more than 20% of the population is dealing with Autoimmunity!

CRITICAL FACT:REMEMBER: THE DISEASES LISTED ABOVE ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN. IN OTHER WORDS, THEY ARE SIMPLY DIFFERENT MANIFESTATIONS OF THE SAME UNDERLYING HEALTH PROBLEM ---- AUTOIMMUNITY. IF YOU FAIL TO UNDERSTAND THE SERIOUSNESS OF AUTOIMMUNITY, AND DO NOT REALIZE THAT AUTOIMMUNITY IS NOT A PROBLEM WITH THE ORGAN / GLAND/ TISSUE BEING ATTACKED; BUT IS INSTEAD A PROBLEM WITH THE IMMUNE SYSTEM ITSELF; YOU WILL NEVER GET YOUR HEALTH PROBLEMS UNDER CONTROL!FOR EVERY AUTOIMMUNE PROBLEM THAT YOU MANAGE TO MEDICATE TO INVISIBILITY, THERE WILL BE THREE MORE CROP UP TO TAKE ITS PLACE. THIS IS THE WOLF-PACK THAT IS AUTOIMMUNITY!

Lets use eczema as an example of this phenomenon. Many children have this problem (10% of the American population), which typically goes away in adulthood. Although the eczema usually goes away, the underlying Autoimmunity did not. That is why left unchecked, this child will become an adult who might not have eczema any longer, but struggles with Psoriasis, Restless Leg Syndrome, Hypothyroidism (90% of which is Hashimoto's), Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Colitis. When she eventually dies of CANCER (yes, many believe it is also an Autoimmune Disease), the medical community never thinks twice about underlying Autoimmunity. This is after making millions of dollars (not an exaggeration!) off of her and her insurance companies over the course of her lifetime. Don't kid yourself. You can tell from looking at the list above that Autoimmunity is a veritable gold mine for the medical community!

WHY ALL THE RECENT HYPE ABOUT GLUTEN?

It's a legitimate question. Why? Why is it that a one-time Kansas wheat farmer is sitting here and trying to explain why Gluten Sensitivity currently affects an estimated 1/2 of the American population --- maybe more? Why now? How come all of a sudden, "Gluten Free" seems to be the hottest thing going? It is obviously not JUST A FAD --- we saw that from reading YESTERDAY'S COLUMN? The truth of the matter is that no one really knows with 100% certainty. There are lots and lots of theories, but no one is sure why Gluten Intolerance has become such an American / European Epidemic ---- they are only sure that it has become an epidemic. Here is a list of the best theories that I have come across thus far.

-GENETIC CONSIDERATIONS: While genetics play a definite roll in Celiac Disease, I personally do not believe that they can explain the exponential increase in Gluten Sensitivity. For those who want to play the 'genetics card' with all of your problems (you know, blame mom, dad, grandpa, and uncle Johnny for all your health issues), you need to have a firm grasp on EPIGENETICS.

-GMO:GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism. This is a logical choice in light of the fact that virtually 100% of America's corn and soybeans are GMO. The problem with this explanation is that no wheat is currently GMO (at least not yet --- they're working on it). However, all of the gluten-containing grains are bred (hybridized) for high protein (Gluten) content, which is highly valued by the food industry. This extra gluten is then used in a wide variety of products (food and otherwise) ---- products you would never suspect as containing gluten (tomorrow's blog). Today's wheat varieties contain far more gluten than they did even a generation or two ago, and exponentially more than the heirloom varieties brought over from Germany, Russia, and other European nations nearly two centuries ago.

At a recent seminar, the instructor talked about a yet-to-be-published Australian study. The authors claim that there are 6 proteins in wheat that did not exist a mere 20 years ago. This might not seem like a big deal, but it is foreign proteins that cause your body to react in the form of Allergies or Sensitivities (when it comes to GLUTEN, the later can be far worse than the former).

-ANTIBIOTICS, ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, & DYSBIOSIS:If you have followed any of my E-NEWSLETTERS, you know what DYSBIOSIS is. It is the conquest of the "gut" by bad bacteria ---- always starting with antibiotics. Yes; the dirty little secret of the medical community is that even a single round of ANTIBIOTICS can get this ball rolling as far as destroying your gut health is concerned. However, SUGARorCONSUMING TOO MANY STARCHY CARBS, alcohol, DRUGS(pushed or prescribed), environmental toxins (chemicals), XENOHORMONES, chronic viral infections, and other allergens / sensitivities, all contribute to imbalanced intestinal flora which can lead to gluten-intolerance (you will really see this in Part IV). There are scores of recent studies linking Dysbiosis in early childhood to both Gluten Intolerance and Autoimmune Disease --- two sides of the same coin (again, stay tuned for Friday's blog --- it's a shocker!).

-THE FOOD PYRAMID & EXPLOSION OF GRAIN-BASED CARBS:The Food Pyramid has been promoted since 1988 ---- the year it was created. Interestingly enough, even though it took the medical community about two decades to grasp the fact that this information was 180 degrees opposite of the truth, it was originally called the Diabetes Food Pyramid because was touted as a dietary "cure" for Type II Diabetes. We have seen in previous blog articles that the medical community continues to resist current research on this matter (HERE). A high grain diet will not only cause you to gain weight in similar fashion to a corn-fed beef, but an FDA-recommended 8-11 servings of grains per day will actually cause diabetes --- the very thing the diet is supposed to prevent! To understand why, you need to understand the relationship between grain and insulin (HERE). The fat-free 90's heavily contributed to both OBESITY and Gluten Sensitivity (not to mention a whole host of endocrine problems), by convincing people that dietary fat is what causes people to get fat --- if a food did not contain fat, it could not make you fat --- a myth still being promoted by much of the medical community a quarter century later. Americans have not eaten their good fats, and over-consumed trans fats and starch. A bad combination (unless you are a food manufacturer, a pharmaceutical company, a heart surgeon, or a hospital)!

-NOT ENOUGH FERMENTED GRAINS: No, I am not really talking about beer here! In years gone by, much of the bread that people ate was sourdough. What is sourdough bread? It is bread in which the ingredients have been "soured" (fermented). This process "neutralizes" gluten as far as your body's propensity to see it as a foreign invader. The internet is full of articles on sourdough bread being "Gluten Free" (the souring process supposedly neutralizes the wheat protein or Gluten). Be aware that for people who are truly Gluten Sensitive, this is not an alternative you can safely consume (HERE).

-NOT ENOUGH SPROUTED GRAINS:What do I mean by sprouted grains? Sprouted grains actually change their composition from a starch to a more nutritious and digestible vegetable. Vegetables are the easiest-to-digest foods because they are broken down by vegetable enzymes, not pancreatic enzymes which are less abundant in most people’s digestive systems. The sprouting conversion happens when the sprout pierces the shell of the grain. Once this process is complete, the body can digest the sprouted grains as a vegetable. Picture a grass seed that has begun to sprout into grass coming alive as a vegetable. The sprouted grass seed is then dried and milled into flour. Back in the days of "shocks" of wheat sitting in the fields, there was more time for the sprouting process to begin. Not to mention, barns and storage facilities were not humidity-controlled like they are today. In other words, by the time people got their flour, much of the grain had at least begun the sprouting process ---- a process that dramatically lowers gluten content.

-POOR CHOICES WITH BABIES:Even though the American Academy of Pediatricians recommends that babies be exclusivelyBREAST FEDfor at least six months (and continue breast feeding until at least one year of age), the rates here in America are just under 12%, and not quite 20% respectively. As you can imagine, go back 100 years ago and these numbers were higher ---- much higher. Not only that, but women were frequently breastfeeding their children until they were 18 months or older. Grains were not routinely introduced into the diet until children were older and their digestive tracts better adapted to handle them. Today, all sorts of terribly unhealthy baby formulas are being introduced at an early age, as well as grains / sugars ----- often times in mass quantities. There is also a great deal of research concerning the ways that childhood vaccinations can disrupt normal gut flora as well as causing numerous neurologically INFLAMMATORYhealth problems (ADD / ADHD / Autism / etc).

-POOR DIETS IN GENERAL: Diets low in WHOLE FOOD NUTRITION interfere with the body’s ability to suppress immune cells that might be inclined to attack proteins that do not need to be attacked. For example, the body uses TGF-beta to suppress immune system cells that have a tendency to attack gluten. This suppression is increased by consuming whole food vitamin A. A diet low in vitamin A (beets, liver, carrots, etc) can dampen the body’s ability to keep its immune system from attacking harmless proteins --- i.e. gluten.

-POOR TESTING PROCEDURES: As we said in yesterday's column, the gold standard for diagnosing Celiac Disease is intestinal biopsy. However, Dr. Peter Green, Professor of Clinical Medicine for the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University studied all 10 million subscribers to CIGNA Health Insurance, and found that only one percent of those with the problem were actually diagnosed. This is far worse than the 1 in 45 that I have previously mentioned. And until recently, there was no valid Gluten Sensitivity Testing. This means that almost 100% of the estimated 150 million Americans with either full blown Celiac Disease or NON-CELIAC GLUTEN SENSITIVITY (which is often just as bad or worse) are walking around without any idea of what is really causing their health problems. All that they know is that they are sick, and feel crappy all the time!

-LONG TERM STORAGE & RANCIDITY:There are many who believe that much of the problems we are running into have to do with storage and subsequent rancidity. Although it is true that wheat was found in an ancient Egyptian tomb, this wheat was not good to eat. In fact, after researching this subject, I found that the maximum suggested storage time for grains to be between 6 months and two years. The oil is removed in the refining process because it is the first thing to go bad. Removing it gives a longer shelf life ---- and just about zero nutritional value. On top of this, I can tell you from experience that grain is stored with all sorts of pesticides, anti-fungals, and who-knows-what else! All of this increases the potential for developing Gluten Sensitivity.

-VACCINATIONS:Yes, I realize that this one is controversial --- what's new? When you look at what happens in the bodies of children with vaccine reactions, the problems seem to cluster around two areas ---- the Nervous System and The Gut. There is evidence that certain vaccines (particularly the MMR) changes the makeup of the gut's normal bacterial flora. Instead of good flora, children end up with more bad flora (not to mention GMO measles virus) living in their guts. This is certainly a big deal because 80% of your immune system lives in your gut. One thing that I can assure you is that virtually 100% of those with AUTISM, ADD / ADHD, or other health problems that have been linked to VACCINATIONS, will be Gluten Intolerant.

-EVOLUTION:I had to add this because you'll see it listed. The scientists who tout evolution, claim that Gluten Sensitivity has come about because grains were introduced only 10,000 years ago ---- not enough evolutionary time for the digestive system to adapt to be able to break them down. The problem with touting evolution for anything is that there is just not any real scientific evidence to back it up (HERE).

-THE BOTTOM LINE: Regardless of what factors are combining to cause this epidemic of Gluten Intolerance, it is inarguable that Americans are consuming far more grain-based products than is healthy ---- gluten aside. As a nation, we have a propensity for junk food, and most junk foods are a combination of White Flour, Refined Sugar, TRANS FATS, MSG, Additives, Preservatives, and a wide variety of CHEMICALS. Tomorrow's blog (Part III) will show you some of the foods that contain hidden gluten.

GLUTEN SENSITIVITYWHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?

Let me first say that I am putting my life at risk by doing this week's series of blog articles on Gluten Intolerance. Why? Because I grew up on a Kansas wheat farm. I was running a combine (Gleaner, Models A & G) by the time I was in 5th grade, and still have many family members that raise wheat. Hopefully, I am still alive by the time Saturday rolls around!

GLUTEN is a water insoluble protein that is itself composed of proteins ---- glutenin and gliadin (in wheat), secalin (in rye) and hordein (in barley). Because it is found in wheat-like grains, it is also found in most types of cereals, breads, flours, and pastas. However, not all foods from the grain family contain gluten. Examples of grains that do not contain gluten include wild rice, corn, buckwheat, millet, amaranth, quinoa, teff, oats, and sunflower seeds. However, before you rush out and buy all sorts of these grains thinking that you are doing yourself a favor, you had better take a few minutes to read about GLUTEN CROSS REACTIVITY.

Although you will also see soybeans on this list as well, stay far away from them as they are a XENOHORMONE --- a Phytoestrogen (plant-based estrogen) that will cause far more problems than they help --- unless they have been fermented first (miso, tempeh, natto, & tofu). Although oats and corn are also on this list and do not contain gluten, there are frequent problems with both as they are common Cross-Reactors. This is because most of the farms and milling facilities that process oats and corn, also process gluten-containing grains that can cross-contaminate products that do not contain gluten. Also, people who are extremelyGluten Sensitive are sometimes highly reactive to the substance in oats and corn that are analogous to gluten in wheat (Gluten Cross Reactivity).

Although only about 1 in 5,000 Americans are ever diagnosed with Celiac Disease (a full-blown systemic reaction to gluten / gliadin), the actual number of sufferers is estimated to be closer to 1 in 100. In other words, only about one in fifty Celiacs is ever diagnosed. This, however, pales to Gluten Sensitivity (aka Gluten Intolerance), which, while some experts say is only 10% of the American population, recent research is estimating it to be closer to 1 in 3 ----- or even as high as 50% or greater (almost 85% of all Americans carry the genetic predisposition). Every study seems to be scarier than the study that came before it.

A large study carried out by the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research in Baltimore has confirmed this. Scientists there tested 8,200 adults and children. Half the sample had various symptoms associated with Celiac Disease and, of those, one in 40 of the children tested positive ---- as well as one in 30 of the adults. But it wasn't just those who seemed ill who were having problems with wheat. There was far more worrying about what the Maryland researchers found when they tested the other half of the sample ---- those who were healthy volunteers selected at random. Among kids under 16, one in 167 had Celiac Disease, while the rate among the adults was even higher - one in 111.

If those proportions are true for the American population in general, this means that nearly 2 million adults and 300,000 children have undiagnosed Celiac Disease - people who, sooner or later, are going to develop vague symptoms of feeling generally unwell, for which they will be offered various drugs that are unlikely to make much difference. Ultimately, they are at higher risk of a range of chronic diseases --- mostly in the AUTOIMMUNITY FAMILY.

The problem though is in the test. In order to have true "Celiac Disease", you have to have a positive biopsy result for the small intestine. Not only is this test not always accurate, it does not tell the whole story. When the body has an immune reaction, it makes antibodies. The test for anti-gliadin antibodies is known as AGA and people who test positive to AGA often have no sign of gut damage. In fact, according to Dr Alessio Fasano, who carried out the University of Maryland research, "Worldwide, CD 'out of the intestine' is 15 times more frequent than CD 'in the intestine'." Expert on Gluten Sensitivity, James Braly M.D. (my mom's first cousin) estimates that between 10% and 15% of the US and Canadian populations have anti-gliadin antibodies. This puts them at risk of conditions as varied as psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, jaundice, IBS and eczema. Other experts feel that even this estimate is low ---- possibly far to low.

A recent large study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people with diagnosed, undiagnosed, and Gluten Sensitivity had a higher risk of death from both heart disease and cancer, as well as other causes (Small-Intestinal Histopathology and Mortality Risk in Celiac Disease). The deaths (between 1969 to 2008) in a three groups of 30,000 patients were examined: Those with full-blown Celiac Disease, those with INFLAMMATION of their intestine but not full-blown Celiac Disease, and those with Gluten Sensitivity (elevated gluten antibodies but negative intestinal biopsy). There was a 39% increased risk of death in those with Celiac Disease, 72% increased risk in those with gut inflammation related to gluten (can anyone say 'LEAKY GUT SYNDROME'?), and 35% increased risk in those with Gluten Sensitivity.

A ten year old paper published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine listed 55 "diseases" that can be caused by eating gluten. These include osteoporosis, irritable bowel disease, inflammatory bowel disease, anemia, cancer, fatigue, canker sores, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and almost all other Autoimmune Diseases. Gluten has also been linked to many psychiatric and neurological diseases, including anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, dementia, migraines, epilepsy, and neuropathy (nerve damage). It has also been linked to autism.

PROGENITORIVOX (IT'S A DRUG YOU NEED!)

I first saw this thing a few years back, and thought it was hilarious. It's a catchy little parody of T.V. drug commercials that rings just as true today as when I first saw it.

Come back tomorrow when we start our four part series on Gluten Intolerance. Trust me; you do not want to miss this one. Especially if you or your family have any sort of health-related problems at all! Amazing stuff!

DR. ROYAL LEE A GIANT AMONG MEN

Th G - Bietigheim-Bissingen/Deutschland - Pixabay

The Lee family came from Norway in 1845 and settled in fertile Wisconsin farm country. Royal was born in 1895, and his intellectual brilliance and mechanical genius were seen from a very early age. After serving overseas in WWI, Lee received his dental degree from Marquette University in Milwaukee although he never spent much time in practice. During his lifetime, Dr Lee secured over seventy U.S. patents for electrical and mechanical devices after starting an engineering company (Lee Engineering). From automotive to military to agriculture to the U.S. space program, Lee's company was involved with some of the most mechanically advanced technology of his day. Needless to say, by the height of the Great Depression, Lee's engineering royalties were earning him enormous wealth. But Lee did not spend money frivolously. Instead, he poured the profits from his engineering company back into his first love, nutrition.

From his earliest years, Lee was an outstanding scholar whose greatest passion was and always had been nutrition. Before he was out of grade school, he’d compiled a comprehensive notebook of biochemical terms. By sixteen he was buying up books on physiology and biochemistry, compiling detailed notebooks on the subject, and even managing to convince his HS principal that he should be teaching an advanced physics course to his 10th grade peers.

Although the body's glandular system was either yet undiscovered or not well understood, this was the focal point of his nutritional studies. Lee realized early on that that this system ---- the "Endocrine System" ---- was the body's “master control mechanism”. Through his research, he came to see that the key to the health of the endocrine system is sufficient intake of vitamins ---- real vitamins as opposed to the synthetic kind!

“Synthetic vitamins: these are highly inferior to vitamins from natural sources, also the synthetic product is well known to be far more toxic.”Dr. Casimir Funk, Polish biochemist and discoverer of "Vital Amines" (Vitamins) circa early 1900's

Lee realized early in the game that Vitamins are complex groups of interdependent compounds and phytonutrients ---- nutrients that can only be made by living organisms. According to Lee and some other progressive thinkers of his day, real vitamins could come only from whole, unprocessed foods. This foundational principle (vitamins are the result of "Life" whose functions are far too complex to be reproduced in a lab), would be the basis of his life's work.

When Lee was in Dental School, he began to work on creating a concentrated nutritional formula that could optimize endocrine health via the delivery of all the known vitamins and minerals ----- in their natural state. Because cold processing and working with vacuum chambers was not something being done on every street corner, it would be a few years before he invented the technology to preserve the nutritional complexes found in his supplement. Regardless; by 1929 Lee was making the world’s first raw, whole-food supplement. Even though “raw” and “whole-food” are today's health-marketing catch-words, Lee was doing this pioneering work over 80 years ago.

If there's one thing Dr. Lee understood, it was the strong relationship between health and whole food nutrition. He drove this point home by shocking his professors with a graduation speech that presented a whole new theory on the formation of cavities titled, “The Systemic Cause of Dental Caries.” Although most of today's dentists would still side with Lee's professors, he based his speech on the large amounts of scientific evidence showing that the cause of tooth decay is systemic bodily dysfunction, usually due to poor nutrition. Although this did not sit well with his professors, it would form the basis of his lifelong relationship with Dr. Weston Price.

In the 1930s, Lee’s friend and dental colleague, Dr. Weston Price, embarked on an epic, round-the-world expedition to photograph and document the effects of processed foods on the dental and physical health of indigenous people throughout the globe. Price's Magnus Opus, Nutrition & Physical Degeneration was the result. This amazing book unequivocally proved that poor nutrition is behind not just tooth decay but other modern diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, arthritis, cancer, etc. It seems that this list of diseases “just happened” to start affecting huge numbers of peoples worldwide at precisely the same time processed foods and the processing of grains were becoming popular.

Lee's first product, "CATALYN", was made by concentrating foods that Dr. Lee knew had the highest amounts of the essential vitamins and minerals. Not surprisingly, it produced remarkable healing in many people who used it. Because of this, word of Catalyn grew. To meet the demand for his increasingly famous food concentrate, Dr. Lee established the Vitamins Product Company (from which he would receive a whopping salary of $1 per year throughout his lifetime). This is the company that was to become STANDARD PROCESS, INC., which continues to produce and distribute Dr. Lee’s formulations today --- many of them unchanged from when he created them decades ago.

Why did Dr. Lee’s formulas work so well? The key, he always maintained, lay in the idea of what a vitamin really is. From his studies in science, Lee knew that one of the basic tenets of holism — The whole is greater than the sum of its parts— is absolutely critical to understanding how a vitamin interacts with the body. Vitamins as they appear in food are never single, isolated chemicals. Instead they are groups of biochemically interdependent substances that all work together—each co-factor performing a specific function—to deliver a collective nutritive effect to the body. Not only that, they could only come from living cells --- as opposed to Synthetic Chemicals.

This thought process was in stark contrast to chemists of his day. Most of these chemists believed that nutritional complexes could be reduced to their “most important” parts. Dr. Lee's favorite question to ask this group of reductionist scientists was, "Which part of a watch keeps time?" Think about his answer in relationship to nutrition. It must all work together!

Interestingly enough, the scientific research of the time proved Dr. Lee's message --- the message that a lack of vitamins and minerals from whole foods leads to poor health. While this fact may seem obvious to us now, in Dr. Lee’s time making such a claim was in direct opposition to the prevailing opinion of medicine and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

"It is wholly unscientific to state that a well-fed body is more able to resist disease than a less well-fed body." Elmer Nelson, M.D., head of the “Nutrition” Division of the FDA. This quote came from one of many Federal Cases against Lee --- this one in 1949.

Lee’s views put him at odds not just with organized medicine and the FDA but also with the food manufacturing industry. His work threatened the security of these commercial interests. Due to their prompting (and lobbying monies), governmental agencies like the FDA were assigned to discredit him. Throughout his life, Dr. Lee would endure perpetual legal prosecution character assassination at the hands of these governmental agencies. Fortunately for us, Lee did not back down from telling the truth; no matter the cost. With Americans increasingly consuming heavily processed foods, he carried on his work in spite of the constant lawsuits. It is easy to find those still vilifying his work online.

Ask anyone who has done it, battling the government and their infinitely deep pockets is almost impossible. Unfortunately, Dr. Lee lost a lawsuit with the FDA in 1962 and was ordered to stop accompanying his food supplements with literature describing their therapeutic value. He was also forced to destroy all the educational nutritional literature produced by his companies that the government deemed “misleading.” Within five years, at age 72, Dr. Lee died from a stress-induced stroke. His wife and partner, Evelyn, survived until she was105 years old ---- carrying on his legacy. Her mission was his mission ---- to show the American people the importance of whole-food nutrition. This has been accomplished via the Lee Foundation as well as the research being conducted by Standard Process.

Although Dr. Royal Lee is long gone, his legacy lives on. Whole Food Nutrition is becoming more popular every day. Why? People are beginning to understand that synthetic vitamins and those that occur naturally are different ---- radically different. Unfortunately, like so many other things, it all seems to come down to money. The marketing of synthetic vitamins has been so successful that most doctors and nutrition “experts” are unaware they have been bamboozled. Vitamin manufacturers compete for business using the exact same product. Their dirty little secret is that they all bought their synthetic vitamins from the same drug manufacturers (synthetic ascorbic acid [the only substance that can legally be called "Vitamin C" in America] is made by combining corn starch and sulfuric acid. The vast vast majority of America's supply comes from pharmaceutical giant, Hoffman-La Roche Labs in New Jersey). To explain why their product is better than the other guy's product, each company makes claim that, "Our vitamins are more potent than yours are. Nah nah nah-nah nah."

Lee knew better, and taught us why this is not true. Thanks Dr. Lee!Thanks Standard Process.

Want to Loose a lot of Weight Fast, get in Great Physical Shape while you do it, and do just one Single Exercise?

KETTLE BELL SWINGS ARE IT!

_SARA DEMONSTRATING A KETTLEBELL SWING

About a month ago, I posted a blog article on the amazing transformational power of Kettlebell Swings. The one drawback to using Kettlebells ----- their cost. Not only is each individual Kettlebell extremely expensive, you will likely need several different sizes / weights. I did you a great favor by showing you how to make an easily adjustable, inexpensive Kettlebell-alternative called a "T-Bar". You can read how to build one of these creatures with material found at your local hardware store (here in Mountain View or anywhere else for that matter) for under $20 HERE. Now I want you to meet Tracy Reifkind.

Four years ago Tracy Reifkind was overweight. In fact, for the decade of her thirties, her BMI bounced around in the absurdly high 25-30+ range ---- GROSS / MORBID OBESITY. Although naturally athletic most of her life, she had succumbed to the twin pitfalls of fast food and a busy lifestyle. Four years ago at age 40, she realized she wasn't getting any younger ---- or any healthier, and decided it was time for a radical change. She finally broke down and allowed her husband Mark Reifkind, a life-long elite athlete and long-time gym owner / personal trainer, help her start on a simple program of walking a half hour a day, and low carb eating that she prepared herself. She quickly realized that Mark was right about the fact that CARDIO DOES A POOR JOB OF WEIGHT LOSS, and she would have to add some resistance training to her routine.

She dropped the walking and started swinging a Kettlebell two times a week for an average of 15 to 20 minutes (never more than 35 minutes). That's all she did. LOW CARB EATING and Kettlebell Swings. No starvation diets. No hours and hours of training. No crazy / expensive weight loss formulas or equipment. No gimmicks. No tricks. No drugs. She simply cut the JUNK, and started a simple exercise program that revolved around one exercise ---- the Kettlebell Swing. Within a matter of three months, she had lost over 100 lbs! Let me repeat that for those of you who are hard of hearing. She lost 100 lbs in just over 100 days.

Tracy credits Kettlebell Training with her physical conditioning, as well as the reason she claims to have never hit a weight loss plateau during her three month journey. She currently maintains her weight consistently between 132 and 135 pounds, with a bodyfat level of about 17-18%. Besides being a mother of two, she maintains a small, private studio in California for training others how to do what she has done. But like I just showed you, there is really no trick to it. Learn what Low Carb eating is all about (HERE), and learn the proper way to do Kettlebell Swings (HERE).

Here's the deal folks. There is not a reason in the world that you can't do what Tracy has done. She, and people like her have removed your excuses. Get off the couch, and learn to swing. Sure it's difficult to make changes, but when you see the difference that it makes in how you look and feel, the process itself becomes motivational! For even more information on maintaining a healthy weight, visit our WEIGHT LOSS POSTS. Start by creating a written plan, follow it, and start getting in shape today!

If you find that exercise and weight loss are impossible even when you follow all the right steps, it is probably time for some serious metabolic testing to see where your body is malfunctioning. What do I mean my "malfunctioning"? visit DESTROY FIBROMYALGIA, ENDOGUT, or THYROID EPIDEMIC to learn more.

SODA POP AND OSTEOPOROSISSTOP THE MADNESS BEFORE YOUR BONES CRUMBLE TO DUST!

Hamza-sia

Americans have a pathological obsession with soda pop (our per-capita consumption is approaching a gallon a week)! A recent study said that soda pop is the number one source of calories for the under-25 crowd. It's an ugly addiction that rivals that of any drug. However, we also happen to have the worst rate of osteoporosis in the world as well ---- and the drugs that Big Pharma has come up with as the solution for this problem, are actually CAUSING OSTEOPOROSIS. We all know that there is a direct correlation to SODA CONSUMPTION & OBESITY (ESPECIALLY DIET SODA). But is there a correlation between soda pop and osteoporosis? You betcha there is!

Bone is a living and dynamic tissue that responds to mechanical stresses and loads by becoming stronger. This is why lack of weight-bearing exercise ---- STRENGTH TRAINING (not a lack of dietary calcium) is considered to be the number one cause of osteoporosis. And we all know that there is not a more sedentary people on the planet than Americans.

But let's move beyond this issue of "sedentary" for a moment and talk about the effects of acidity. Your body likes a pH of about 7. This is smack dab in the middle of a pH chart, and considered "neutral" (see chart below). As an over-generalized rule, most healthy foods tend to be alkali (above 7), while most unhealthy foods tend to be acidic (below 7) --- the more acidic a food is, the worse it is for you. This is a big reason that sick people are almost always acidic. The chart below comes from the University of Minnesota's School of Dentistry, and is a list of the most acidic brands of soda.

Be aware that a pH scale is analog. This means that each number is a factor of 10 times greater or less than the numbers next to it. For example; milk is 10 times more acidic than pure water, and the banana is 10 times more acidic than milk. This means that a banana is 100 times more acidic than pure water. What can we say about soda pop? If it is, on average, pH 3, then it's 10,000 times more acidic than pure water. If it is pH 2.5, it will be about 50,000 times more acidic than pure water. Why am I talking about 2.5 pH soda? Stay with me for a moment.

EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT SODA POP DOES TO TEETHIT DOES THE SAME THING TO BONES!

Two of the most common soda brands (Pepsi & Coke) both have pH's right at an almost absurd pH of 2.5 (approximately 50,000 times more acidic than pure water). Forget, for a moment, that diseases thrive in acidic environments (read our posts on SUGAR FEEDING CANCER). Let's try and figure out how soda pop or other acidic foods cause osteoporosis.

Many of us have used vinegar to clean mineral (calcium) deposits from our shower heads. Just take a plastic baggie full of vinegar, put it on the shower head, rubber band it in place, let it sit over night, and presto! The next morning the softened calcium deposit wipes off as easily as bacon grease from a stove top! Although this is not the exact mechanism that soda consumption causes osteoporosis, you should be starting to get the picture. Acid dissolves calcium!

BUFFERING STRONG ACIDS:So, why don't I immediately die when I drink a Pepsi ---- after all, it is 50,000 times more acidic than water? It is because your body was created with a series of internal pumps and buffers to blunt the effects of strong acids. This is because you will die if your body cannot maintain a slightly alkali blood pH of between the narrow range of 7.35 and 7.45. Any higher or lower, and you rapidly run the risk of extreme consequences (including Rigor Mortis!). If you drink just one 12 ounce can of Pepsi or Coke (and in this age of the "Big Gulp", who drinks just 12 ounces any more?), it will take four (4) gallons of alkali water (pH 9) to buffer this acid. I personally don't know very many people who chase their soda pop with a five gallon bucket of water! So what does your body do to survive this acid insult if gallons and gallons of alkali water are not readily available? It has to get buffering power from somewhere else --- quickly. So it steals buffering power in the form of calcium from the easiest available source(s)

Think for a moment. When it comes to heartburn and acid indigestion / reflux, we have all been brain washed to think in terms of Rolaids Spells Relief, and Tums for the Tummy; but what is it in those products that buffers or neutralizes acid? Calcium! Calcium Carbonate --- the same kind of calcium found found in limestone, oyster shells, or egg shells. Calcium Carbonate has another name you might be more familiar with --- chalk. By the way, calcium from rocks and shells is a terrible source of dietary calcium (HERE), unless you enjoy hardened arteries and arthritis. Only use calcium supplements that comes from raw (cold processed) bone (HERE)!

When you drink SODA --- yes evenDIET SODA, your body explodes into action to buffer the extremely high acid that is invading the system. It needs buffering power and it needs it quick. Where does it get it? It gets it from the most readily available sources of calcium that it can find ---- calcium from blood, bone, and DNA. So, every time you drink soda (or eat other high acid content foods --- SUGAR, white flour, etc), your body is robbing Peter to pay Paul. It is stealing calcium from vital parts of the body, and using it to buffer the effects of the soda. This is why I urge women (particularly small women, or women who used to be small) to avoid soda at all costs. If you don't, the medical community will use a bone density test to sell you on the fact that you have Osteoporosis, and need one of the so-called "BONE BUILDING DRUGS" --- drugs that actually CAUSE OSTEOPOROSIS!

WHY DIET SODAS CAUSE OBESITY

StockSnap - Pixabay

If you read YESTERDAY'S BLOG ENTRY, you are already aware that diet soda causes obesity, but the question is why. Why do diet sodas cause obesity? In a word, Aspartame.

Aspartame is arguably one of the largest cause of health problems in America. It is sold under the brand names: NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure, and used to sweeten thousands of "food" products. But how does a chemical that has no calories cause one to get fat? It's really quite easy to understand.

Like MSG, aspartame is an excitotoxin. Excitotoxins cross the blood-brain barrier unrestricted, and contribute to all manner of neurological disorders. They attack the part of the brain that regulates HORMONE PRODUCTION. Among other things, this causes HYPOTHYROIDISM, a condition which affects at least 10% of the American population, which slows the metabolism. But that's not all.

When you ingest aspartame (a known liver toxin) it is absorbed from the intestines and passes immediately to the liver for detox. The liver breaks down aspartame to its toxic components - phenylalanine, aspartic acid, formaldehyde, and methanol (wood alcohol). This process requires a lot of energy from the liver which means there will be less energy remaining in the liver cells. This means the liver cells will have less energy for fat metabolism, which results in fat storage. Excess fat may build up inside the liver cells causing "fatty liver". When this starts to occur, it is extremely difficult to lose weight.

Although it contains no calories, aspartame causes causes DYSGLYCEMIA(unstable blood sugar levels), which increases the appetite, causes high levels of blood insulin, and causes the sugar cravings that many people (particularly women) would compare to a crack addiction. INSULINis a storage hormone that moves sugar out of the blood and into the cells to be burned or stored ----- as fat.

Let me leave you with a little tidbit from the Congressional Record, Senate, S - 5511, May 7, l985. "Aspartame has been demonstrated to inhibit the carbohydrate-induced synthesis of the neurotransmitter serotonin (Wurtman affidavit). Serotonin blunts the sensation of craving carbohydrates and this is part of the body's feedback system that helps limit consumption of carbohydrate to appropriate levels. Its inhibition by aspartame could lead to the anomalous result of a diet product causing increased consumption of carbohydrates." Do you think that carbohydrates can make you fat? To answer this one, ask yourself a simple question: How does one fatten a beef? I grew up on a Kansas farm, and can assure you that carbohydrates (grain, sorghum, molasses, etc) is the only way to get the job done! But let's explore this "Serotonin" thing just a little bit more. Listen to what Ralph Walton, MD, says about aspartame and its effect on serotonin levels.

Food seeking behavior and satiety are driven by an area of the brain known as the hypothalamus. Stimulation of the medial hypothalamus in a laboratory rat leads to eating. Stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus leads to satiety and cessation of eating. Placing a lesion in the lateral hypothalamus produces an obese rat. The lateral hypothalamus is driven by serotonin. I believe that consuming large amounts of aspartame decreases the availability of serotonin and is thus analogous to placing a lesion in the lateral hypothalamus. Although much of this work is recent, clinical suggestions that aspartame can lead to paradoxical increased appetite date back to Blunder's work of 1986. An evolving view in modern psychiatry is that although depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, impulse control disorders, and eating disorders have historically been viewed as separate entities, in fact they should be viewed as a continuum of disorders all involving some degree of dysregulation of serotonin. I believe that at this time there is overwhelming evidence that aspartame contributes to this dysregulation.

And for those who may have been interested, approximately 90% of the body's serotonin is manufactured in the Gut (HERE). Poor GUT HEALTH, means that you will not be making the serotonin your body needs to feel 'normal'. Odds are you will be labeled with DEPRESSION, and all bets are off from here on out.

Dr. Schierling completed four years of Kansas State University's five-year Nutrition / Exercise Physiology Program before deciding on a career in Chiropractic. He graduated from Logan Chiropractic College in 1991, and has run a busy clinic in Mountain View, Missouri ever since. He and his wife Amy have four children (three daughters and a son).